December 5

With absolutely no professional or junior hockey action last night, today we have for you a bunch of Quick Hits!

• Minnesota North Stars have called up goalie Carl Wetzel from their Memphis farm team in the Central Professional Hockey League. North Stars had planned on using Wetzel from the outset this year but NHL rules kept him on the sidelines until now. Wetzel had been reinstated as an amateur to play for the U.S. national team and had to remain out of pro hockey for a year.

  

• Montreal Canadiens have three players who have been missing time due to injury back working out with the club. Goalie Gump Worsley and forwards Jean Beliveau and John Ferguson were all slated to participate in a full practice today with hopes of suiting up for Thursday night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
• Canadiens rookie forward Mickey Redmond, who scored two goals for the Habs in his first NHL game Sunday evening, had fired eight goals in 12 games with Houston of the CPHL before being called up.
• The Red Wings have called up forward Rick McCann from the Fort Worth Wings of the CPHL. Detroit general manager Sid Abel says he wants to get a look at some of the younger players in the Red Wings system. McCann, who is tied for the CPHL lead in scoring with seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points, will play a maximum of five games with the Red Wings, after which he will be returned to Fort Worth. Winger Ron Anderson was sent down to Fort Worth in a corresponding move.
• Red Wings captain Alex Delvecchio celebrated his 35^th birthday yesterday. He was given a huge birthday cake by general manager-coach Sid Abel and assistant Baz Bastien.
• X-rays have revealed that Boston defenceman Ted Green does not have a broken hand, as had been originally feared. Green injured his hand during Sunday evening’s brawl-filled game against Montreal. Green fought with Canadiens defenceman Terry Harper and apparently his hand was injured when it bounced several times off Harper’s skull.

  

• St. Louis Blues continue to tinker with their lineup in order to get the last-place club moving. Yesterday right winger Wayne Rivers was dispatched to the Kansas City Blues of the CPHL. To replace Rivers, St. Louis promoted right wing Gary Sabourin. Sabourin was acquired last summer from the New York Rangers in the trade that saw defenceman Rod Seiling returned to the Rangers by the Blues after the Expansion Draft.
• The Blues are going to use recently-signed left winger Dickie Moore on a line centred by Don McKenney. Young Tim Ecclestone will line up on the right side of that unit.
• Philadlephia Flyers left winger Brit Selby, out since November 2 with a separated shoulder, is getting closer to a return to the lineup. Flyers yesterday sent Selby to their Quebec City farm team in the American Hockey League to play himself into shape.
• The Flyers are thinking of promoting young forward Andre Lacroix from Quebec. He is currently the AHL scoring leader.
• Chicago Black Hawks are so desperate for help at centre, they are using rookie defenceman Paul Terbenche as the pivot on their third line between Dennis Hull and Wayne Maki. Pit Martin’s absence due to injury has created a huge hole for the Hawks. Rookie Gerry Goyer centres the number one line with Bobby Hull and Chico Maki flanking him.
• North Stars general manager-coach Wren Blair says he has 12 untouchables on his team whom he will not trade. Blair says he thought he had a big swap all lined up last week with the Boston Bruins, but the deal fell through at the last minute. Blair said the proposed exchange did not include Bruins forward Tommy Williams, a native of Minnesota.

  

• Richie Bayes of the Toronto Marlbors and Tom Webster of Niagara Falls Flyers are tied for the lead in the Ontario Hockey Association Junior A Series scoring race. Bayes and Webster have identical totals of 17 goals and 22 assists for 39 points. One point back is Steve Atkinson of Niagara Falls.
• The Czechoslovakian national team whipped Canada’s Eastern nationals 6-2 at a tournament in Russia. Czech goalie Irdji Kholichak was the star of the game, making 39 saves in an outstanding performance.